1. Technical Field
This invention relates to card dealing apparatuses, and, more particularly, to a card dealing and sorting machine which can deal and sort a deck of cards into a plurality of preselected hands in which each hand contains specific predetermined cards.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Since the invention of the playing card, mankind has been fascinated by card games. Games such as poker, bridge, rummy and gin have challenged and delighted players of all ages and skills. Of these games, however, the one which has attracted some of the most dedicated players is bridge. One of the problems encountered in dealing and playing bridge occurs in a tournament when duplicate hands are to be dealt to a number of different players to remove the element of luck in the dealing of the cards. Another problem can come up when a player would like to try his or her skill at playing the same hand that a bridge master played, to see how their technique measures up to that of the expert.
Another problem present is that prior art devices such as that of Friedman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,312,473, require electric current to work, are somewhat complex and have experienced certain problems developing in them, and use less efficient methods to accomplish what the present invention accomplishes. Moreover, these devices cannot be easily modified to deal different card games, as can the present invention.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a card dealing and sorting machine which can deal a plurality of preselected hands.
Another object is to provide a card dealing and sorting machine which enables card players to duplicate hands over and over, for uses such as in tournaments.
Yet another object is to provide a card dealing and sorting machine which is adapted to sort a standard deck of playing cards.
Still another object is to provide a card dealing and sorting machine which utilizes a minimum number of parts for assuring a minimum possibility of breakdown.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, drawings, and claims. The scope of the invention shall not be limited to the drawings themselves as the drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating one embodiment of the present invention.